Lubricator.



H. F. HOYE.

LUBRICATOR.

APPLlCATION FILED AUG.!. 1918.

1,295,31 9. Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

WITNESSES I awe/MW nzermojy e HOMER F. I-IOYE, 0F HEBERSIPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

"LUBBICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application filed August 1, 1918. SerialNo. 2457, 807.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit'known that I, HOMER F. Horn, a citizen of the United States, residing" at Heber Springs, in the county of Cleburne and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steam engine valves, and more especially to lubricators therefor; and the object of the same is to produce a system for directing the lubricant behind or beneath the slide valve Within the valve chest on an engine cylinder.

A further object is to utilize the reciprocations of the valve in its chest for spreading the oil over the faces to be lubricated, and for permitting a little of the same to be drawn into the cylinder by the inrush of steam.

Yet other objects will appear from the following specification and claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a cylinder and valve chest with the face plate of the latter removed, and an elevation of this lubricator,

Fig. 2 is a face view of the valve chest with its face plate removed and its valve omitted, and an elevation of the lubricator from a position at right angles to that of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, let G designate the cylinder, V the valve chest, and S the steam pipe leading into the chest in which, although not so herein illustrated, reciprocates the ordinary slide valve for admitting steam alternately to opposite ends of the cylinder and exhausting in the usual and well known manner not necessary to amplify. The purpose of my invention is to provide a lubricating system by means of which the oil or lubricant is directed or perhaps fed into the valve chest behind the valve, as already stated.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, a small pipe 1 leads out of the steam pipe S and into the upper end of a lubricating tank or container 2 of any appropriate size and shape. From the lower portion of this tank another pipe 3 leads downward and is branched as shown at 4c in Fig. 2, the two arms of the branch passing further downward and into the top of the valve casing V, which is cored with upright holes 5 as seen in Fig. 1. The branches are by preference screwed into the upper ends of these holes,--and their lower ends are by be removed to clean them out. From each hole a plurality of ports 7 open through the base plate 8 of the valve casing or chest, which plate has the usual inlet and exhaust ports as indicated by the letter P in Fig. 2. Means may be employed to control the flow of steam through the pipe 1 or the flow of lubricant through the pipe 3, but these form no part of the present invention.

lVith the parts assembled and the lubricator in operation, pressure of steam through the pipe 1 causes the lubricant in the tank 2 to flow out the pipe 3 and down its branches 4. Passing down the holes or preference closed with plugs 6 which may channels 5 it flows out the ports 7 directly against the inner face of the valve (not shown) which of course is sliding over the base plate 8 of the valve chest or casing as it reciprocates. By such movements the oil is therefore spread over the contacting faces, and each time an inlet port in the valve registers with an inlet port P in the valve casing, some of the oilis carried with the steam into the cylinder C, wherein" it lubricates the interior thereof so that the piston may reciprocate without friction. Thus my improved lubricating system avoids the provision of mechanism commonly employed for mixing the lubricant with the inflowing steam, because in this case the lubricant is applied to the valve to mechanically lubricate the wear faces thereof, and only a little of it at the last moment is picked up by the steam and carried on into the cylinder. Yet the lubrication of the latter and the piston therein is sufficient.

The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to what may be considered the preferred, or approved form of my invention. It is to be understood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a lubricator, the combination with a cjylinder and its valve chest, the interior of t ese elements being connected by ports, and a steam pipe leading into said chest; of a tank for lubricating oil, a pipe leading from the steam pipe into the upper end of thetank and a plug closing the lower end of each 10 to put the oil therein under pressure, and an hole. a outlet pipe leading from the lower portion In testimony whereof I aflix my signature of said tank and branched, the wall of the in presence of two witnesses.

valve chest being provided with a plurality HOMER F HOYE of upright holes into which the branches of sald outlet plpe lead and the chest provided Witnesses:

with ports leading from said holes to the W. R. MCINTOSH, wear face on which the valve reciprocates, J. W. DUKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

